Tierra Del Sol (Maduro)

So... as I mentioned previously, it's damned cold in Ohio right now. Real cold. (Editor: Isn't that like saying it's wet in the sea?)

So when the opportunity arose to travel to a luxurious hotel in Charlotte (with a nice balcony) I lept at the chance. Ok, it wasn’t really an opportunity, but a work obligation, and it wasn’t luxurious, it was a regular old business class hotel, which happened to have a balcony.

The reality is that I packed these, got to Charlotte, and then proceeded to work several 17 hour days, all of which started at 4 or 5 am. (Editor: Hold on, I need a minute to dry my eyes from all the tears I am shedding for you.) By the time sunday night rolled around, I decided to take time to enjoy. It was cool, mid-40’s by the time I had this – with a pretty good wind whipping around. Thankfully that helped keep the cigar smoke from drifting back into the room, but made for some pretty terrible lighting conditions (matches only, thank you, TSA).

I had my v-cutter with me, so I figured I’d give it a shot – the torpedo made for a perfect cut, but also made for an absolutely horrible draw – I went with a regular cut and didn’t look back. (Editor: It's a good thing, too. Looking back would only show you the series of embarassing failures that have brought your life to the point it is at now.)
It was spicier than I expected at first – very peppery on the nose, but part of that could have been attributed to lighting the cigar with matches in the middle of a windstorm – pretty inconsistent, and I had to overheat a bit to get her going.

Quickly it mellowed out, to what I can only describe as an earthy, peaty charcoal. I really wish I had been able to pair this with an Islay Scotch, instead it was crappy hotel coffee, but it actually wasn’t bad – a fuller-bodied coffee would be perfectly at home with this cigar.

The only oddity I found was that it wound up being a lot milder than I expected for a Maduro – it had its moments, but overall it was right in the mild-to-medium range.

I picked up a bundle of these awhile back, kept a few in wrapper for travel, while unwrapping the rest – given my experience with this cigar, I’m really eager to see what these develop into with some aging and mellowing. (Editor: Just as you will find that as your friends age and mellow, they only hate you more and more.)

So far, I’m happy with the purchase, so happy, in fact, I’m giving it a Hogg.

Tierra Del Sol (Maduro)
Size: Torpedo Maduro (6.1" x 50 ring)
Taste: Medium-Mild
Draw: Excellent (with Guillotine Cut)
Burn: Ok (with poor lighting conditions)
Flavors: "Peppery, Earthy Charcoal"
Overall Rating: "Hoggin' it up and havin' a good time!"